We are guilty of many errors and many faults but our worst crime is abandoning the children, neglecting the fountain of life. Many of the things we need can wait. The child cannot. Right now is the time his bones are being formed, his blood is being made, and his senses are being developed. To him we cannot answer "Tomorrow." His name is "Today." â Gabriela Mistral.

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Saturday, September 02, 2006

Bush comes out of the closet

With US Congress elections in November, it is unsurprising that President George W. Bush should increase his rhetoric about the security of the nation. It was, after all, how he managed to scrape home and retain his presidency. He succeeded then in casting doubt upon the ability of the Democrats to lead the nation in the fight against his so-called war on terrorism, while at the same time creating a fear among the American public of virtually all things Middle Eastern. Therefore, having seen the success of this line of electioneering, Bush has decided to resurrect the theme, dust it down, freshen it up a little, and play the cards again. Namely, that only he, and his Republican Party, is capable of fighting the good fight against what he now terms as "fascists with a twisted view of Islam".

So now we have it. It is no longer terrorists, per se, that are being hunted and killed, and it is Muslims. In the past the White House administration always claimed it was "terrorists" a vague reference to all and sundry who happened to disagree with the principles of American democracy and "all it stood for". Now the tempo has increased (and with elections nearing and the polls showing Bush is not in favour), so it is time for Bush to come out of the closet and call it like it is, and what Muslims have known all along.

But equally bad news is the claim made on Iraq by Bush to veterans of the American Legion on Thursday. He said the US will stay until victory is achieved in the form of a stable democratic US ally established in Baghdad. Getting Iraqis to be US-friendly could take a very long time. At present, Americans are persona non grata.